Pulse
by SweetTies
Summary: She hadn't seen him since the day she broke his heart ten years ago. Now here he was, sitting handcuffed across from from her in an FBI interrogation room, the prime suspect in the triple homicide of his father, stepmother, and younger half brother. Her life was about to change, and drastically. (Sessh/Kagome)
1. Devil's Due

**((Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha cast. All rights to Author and Illustrator Rumiko Takahashi.))**

Title: **Pulse**

Rated: **M**

Genre(s): **Crime/Romance/Drama/Comedy**

Pairing(s): **Sesshome, Ayame/Banko**

**Summary: **She hadn't seen him since the day she broke his heart ten years ago. Now here he was, sitting handcuffed across from from her in an FBI interrogation room, the prime suspect in the triple homicide of his father, stepmother, and younger half brother. Her life was about to change drastically.

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**Chapter One: **Devil's Due

"Higurashi." Kagome greeted monotonously as she guided her 2014 pale blue Nissan Altima through the busy streets of Tokyo city. It was eight am, still bright and early and Special Agent Kagome Higurashi was on her way back from yet another crime scene. They were calling them the 'Ripper 2.0' cases. Some misogynistic perp was making his way through the city streets at night murdering prostitutes in a manner uncannily similar to the infamous Jack the Ripper…hence the nickname. She'd been on the case for two weeks and she already had fifth body. This guy wasn't about to just quit.

"Agent, Chief Kaido wants you back at headquarters." The male reported. Characteristically Kagome frowned. Three years with the FBI, and five years with Tokyo PD and she still couldn't get used to being told what to do. Well…used to it, maybe. But she still didn't like it.

"On my way." She said curtly before pressing the button on her bluetooth and reeving the engine to make a quick turn onto a side street on her right. Being returned to silence she picked up speed.

At seventeen Kagome had dropped out of high school, and joined the police force less than a year later. After some time had passed it didn't take much convincing from her fellow officers to get her G.E.D and not too long after that the next thing she knew she was getting her Bachelor's after only three years! One of her proudest accomplishments. After a brief stint in the F.D.A she graduated third in her class from the F.B.I Academy, and was shipped off to Tokyo. She had started out as a frail, quiet, scared and pitiful girl, but quickly became a very strong woman. She was cunning, outspoken, quick on her feet, intuitive, and easily a fast rising star in her agency.

She didn't allow herself time to muse over what her Chief could possibly want, preferring instead to focus on what she did know. She began to re-create the details of the crime scene she had just come from in her head. It was pretty simple, clean execution but messy aftermath. The woman was somewhere in her early twenties, petite figure, long legs, brown hair, and it was clear from the bruising on her left eye and lips she'd been beaten. She had no I.D (no surprise) but had two hundred dollars stuck in her bra, just like the rest. It was rather strange. Every girl had engaged in sexual activity with the killer, then was beaten by him, then had their throats evenly and precisely slit. After that, the bodies were actually _cleaned _in soft bleach, two hundred dollars was stuffed in their bras, and their bodies werenlaid out in whatever alleyway he deemed fit for the night. However this time…was a bit different.

Kagome had wondered at first if it was the same guy, but the way the throat was slit and the patterns of bruising on her latest victim told her it was. Those things were the same, but a key step was missing. _He didn't clean the body. _In fact, that was what made it easier to find. The victim was closer to the mouth of an alleyway that happened to be on a slight incline, so her throat bled out leaving a seven foot long trail. This was a drastic change. He didn't remove the body, clean it and bring it back. Which told Kagome that something _must _have interrupted him…but what?

She figured it couldn't have been a person, because they would have either been notified of something prior, or they would have found two bodies instead of one. It seemed very unlikely to her that a person showed up and the killer would have ran away from his victim to go find him without finishing the job and killing her, because then she would have gotten away, even if he did catch the person who spotted him. So it had to be something else, something personal or occupational. He couldn't have just gotten scared, he was already four bodies deep at that point it wasn't like he was about to just stop and smell the coffee. She needed to figure out what the hell made him rush, and as soon as she was done with the Chief, checking the victim I.D and street cameras was first on her To-Do List.

Ten minutes later she eased on her break and pulled into the underground parking garage of headquarters and parked, before stepping out into the bright artificial lights built into the concrete walls all around her. She propped her brown Ray Bands atop her head and glanced down at herself to make sure she was presentable to walk in. She'd rushed to the crime scene that morning and only half ass got dressed. She shrugged, figuring her black dress pants and fitted V necked pastel purple quarter sleeved shirt would do the trick. She had her belt around her waist accommodating her gun, bullets, notepad, pen, and walkie-talkie. She flipped her hair nonchalantly before walking across the white and yellow lines of the garage to the elevators.

She'd already passed through security on her way into the parking lot, but still a man who knew her face well gestured for her identification when she reached the elevator. She huffed and fished around for it as he shot her a toothy grin.

"Sorry. You know it's standard." He chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah." She grumbled. "Now you better not make me late for my meeting with the Big Bad Fox." He chuckled again with a shake of his head before raising an eyebrow at her.

"Chief Kaido wants you?" He asked, promptly handing back her I.D and pressing the up button on the elevator. She nodded, to which he frowned. "I wonder why…"

In less than a moments time she stepped off the elevator…and into a flurry of _madness. _Her eyes widened as she paused for a minute, watching all the agents bustling about and listening to at least five different phones ringing. _What in the hell was going on? _She cocked her head to the side, content to watch for a moment longer before trying to work her way through it. Spotting a familiar face coming towards her she stepped up.

"Uh…did I miss something?" She asked Ayame Nikiri, who stopped in front of her, slightly out of breath. She had long, bright red hair flaring about her shoulders and arms and honey golden brown eyes that always found their way to the truth. She was dressed rather informally, crisp blue jeans and a fitted white quarter sleeve shirt with her gun holstered to her waist. Kagome had been assigned to Ayame's team upon her entrance to the FBI and the girls had been joined at the hip as partners ever since.

"Man, am I glad to see you. Chief was about to lose his head and the press is going to have a field day when this gets out. There's some crazy shit going on here Higurashi. Like…crazier than finding a wedding ring in human shit crazy." Kagome wrinkled her nose as she recalled the case they had worked on a couple years before. Some crazy woman was kidnapping what turned out to be all her ex boyfriends, and forcing them to swallow a cheap woman's wedding ring while she tortured them. Then she waited a number of hours and off-ed them. When their dead bodies deficated, they always found the wedding ring. Guess she was trying to say…they should have married her.

"Ew. And okay what?" She asked, following Ayame as she lead them through the crowd of agents to the Chief's office.

"Ah, ah ah! No, over here!" They heard the familiar voice of Shippo Kaido call. They turned and saw him gesturing them over towards the interrogation rooms. Ayame began chewing on her bottom lip.

"I guess you're about to find out." She said, and jerked her head towards the Chief, indicating to Kagome that she was not going to follow. The young woman frowned, but nonetheless walked away from her co-worker/friend.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" She asked as she approached. Shippo Kaido was a short man, not to be taken lightly however. He was probably the most sly and cunning man Kagome had ever met in her life, which had earned him the nickname Fox. He had one of the best records for catching criminals and that and his ability to be soley responsible for everyone around him, landed him his position as Chief. He was some what quiet, and frightening when angered. Dressed in a full black suit per-usual with a slight undertaker style, his bright orangish-red hair was spiked about his head and his body was stern and muscled. His face was unreadable and he turned to begin walking and Kagome followed on que.

"Just this morning we received a cryptic call about a bizarre disturbance at the Taisho residence. Since it's so high profile naturally we checked it out, only to find out that InuTaisho Taisho, Izayoi Taisho, and Inuyasha Taisho had all been murdered." Kagome raised both eyebrows.

"Taisho? Like _the _Taisho's?" She asked, the surprise evident in her voice. The Taisho's were a _very _wealthy and prestigious business owning family. Taisho Corporations made billions of dollars every year through advertising. They were the most successful and powerful in the market. Something pulled at her from the back of her mind, and she realized the name sounded familiar to her for another reason…but what that reason was, she couldn't disern. Not liking to be confused her frown deepened. Chief Kaido nodded in response to her.

"All three of them? Murdered _in_ the house?" She questioned. It was uncanny to think that such a highly protected family would come under successful siege like that. Shippo nodded, working his jaw slightly before handing her a file.

"It seems that way. Sorry, no time to do much more briefing the rest is in that file but I want you to interrogate the prime suspect." He said, stopping abruptly in front of a door making her trip over his feet as she looked at him, an astonished look gracing her soft features.

"What?! _Now? _Why me?" She questioned rapidly. She hadn't even looked at the crime scene photos!

"Because you're good at this kind of thing…and my intuition told me. " He said, unlocking the door they stood next to.

"Intui-? What about the Ripper 2.0 cases?" She tried to reason. It was so bizarre to her how Chief Kaido was clamping down on her.

"Oh. You're off that case and as of this moment re-assigned to this one. Off you go." And before she could protest he had shoved her inside the interrogation room and shut the door behind her.

Kagome could feel the heat rising to her face while she glowered at the door, as if the inanimate object somehow had something to do with the current mess she found herself in. Muttering to herself she turned to look at the other officer in the room. He was standing on the side of the elongated black table next to his prisoner and she huffed before looking at the man sitting in the only other unoccupied chair in the room. His silver white hair was long and dirtied, caked blood matting it in random areas. His clothes were bloodied, torn and dirty, and his shoulders were slouched slightly. She couldn't see his face.

With a resolved sigh she placed the file on the table along with a notepad Kaido had provided for her and a pen and took a seat. A moment of silence passed and she intertwined her fingers together in front of her on the table and opened her mouth to speak. Instead she was stopped short when his head lifted, and the words died in her throat as blazing amber orbs caught hold of her icy blue one's. In that moment, as her jaw almost hit the table, she could have sworn time stopped. Kagome's eyes widened as she leaned back in her chair, disbelief contorting her features as reality hit her like a pile of bricks. Her body went rigid. The reason the name sounded so familiar…was because she knew the man in front of her. She hadn't seen him since the day she broke his heart ten years ago. Now here he was, sitting handcuffed across from from her in an FBI interrogation room, the prime suspect in the triple homicide of his father, stepmother, and younger half brother. Sitting across from her, was Sesshomaru Taisho.

It was clear now. Not only her day, but her life, was about to change…and drastically.

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((**A/N**: Thanks for reading my new story! Please R&amp;R. See ya next time ;) ))


	2. Deliver Me From Evil

**((Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha cast. All rights to Author and Illustrator Rumiko Takahashi.))**

Title: **Pulse**

Rated: **M**

Genre(s): **Crime/Romance/Drama/Comedy**

Pairing(s): **Sesshome, Ayame/Banko**

**Summary: **She hadn't seen him since the day she broke his heart ten years ago. Now here he was, sitting handcuffed across from from her in an FBI interrogation room, the prime suspect in the triple homicide of his father, stepmother, and younger half brother. Her life was about to change drastically.

**((A/N: **Welcome back for Chapter Two of Pulse ! Thank you to my Chapter One reviewers:…. It was lovely to see some of my fans of B.I.T.C.H come over to this fanfiction, so thanks you guys ! I hope I'm on the road to putting out another good one for you guys ! Other than that, on we go. Enjoy.** ))**

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_Previously…_

_In that moment, as her jaw almost hit the table, she could have sworn time stopped. Kagome's eyes widened as she leaned back in her chair, disbelief contorting her features as reality hit her like a pile of bricks. Her body went rigid. The reason the name sounded so familiar…was because she knew the man in front of her. She hadn't seen him since the day she broke his heart ten years ago. Now here he was, sitting handcuffed across from from her in an FBI interrogation room, the prime suspect in the triple homicide of his father, stepmother, and younger half brother. Sitting across from her, was Sesshomaru Taisho._

_It was clear now. Not only her day, but her life, was about to change…and drastically._

**Chapter Two: **Deliver Me From Evil

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Kagome said breathlessly. Her stomach twisted in unnatural ways and she could feel her heart drop to her intestines. She couldn't have pushed out of the chair fast enough. Flinging the door open she slammed it behind her and barged into the adjoining watch room where she found Chief Kaido and the Technition, Sato Myoga. He was even shorter than the Chief, with gray hair pre-mature for his thirty-two years of age. Their attention was away from the one way large glass window in front of them and focused on her paled face and stiff body.

"Ah…h-hey Higurashi." Myoga managed to say, his voice shaking fearfully. She ignored him, and narrowed her eyes at her superior.

"You did this on purpose." She accused. Kaido raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"You dated him in high school." He replied. She looked at him incredulously.

"Which is precisely why I'm the _last _person who should be doing this!" She blurted impatiently. Kaido shook his head.

"Traditionally, yes. But I think there's more to this whole murder than him just killing them. There had to be some special motive, and I want you to get it out of him." He responded with ease.

"WHAT?! What in the world made you think he's going to talk to _me_? For your information sir, _I _broke up with _him._"

"I can't imagine why, he seems like a total babe." They both turned their heads to look at Myoga. He flushed under their stares. "Inappropriate. Got it." Kaido turned back towards Kagome and began to speak more quietly.

"Do you think he did it Higurashi?" He asked her.

"Wha-I don't know!" She hissed in reply. She didn't think she knew much of anything at that point!

"Think about it." Kaido ordered. Heaving a frustrated sigh she calmed herself and closed her eyes. It didn't take long.

"No." She confirmed when she finally did respond. It was honest. She thought about her memories of the kind of person he was, and pompous, elitist, cocky, popular and intimidating jerk all fit the bill, but murderer didn't.

Chief Kaido nodded.

"Alright. Then help him prove it." He replied nonchalantly. Kagome knew there was no more room for argument. Running her fingers through her hair she stood silent for another moment, weighing her options. She could walk back into that room like a grown professional woman, or she could get down on her knees and beg her boss to get her as far from this case as possible. It wasn't as though she hated the secured man in the next room but she knew being near him for too long…would only drag up bad memories. But Shippo Kaido didn't know that…and neither did anyone else. Inhaling deeply she closed her eyes and allowed herself an extra second to regain her composure. When she opened them, Chief Kaido was looking at her expectantly.

"Yes sir." She said calmly. Turning her back Kagome exited the room and in less than ten seconds she found herself back in the interrogation room. She walked returned to the table and sat down across from Sesshomaru and noticed that the bastard was _scowling. _At _her! _She raised both eyebrows.

"Well that was rude." He quipped. His voice was even deeper than she remembered. She looked at him incredulously as his nose wrinkled more.

"Says the one whose under arrest for triple homicide." She growled. It was his turn to raise a perfectly arched brow.

"Let's be real here Kags, we both know I didn't do it. Even if nobody else does. And at least I didn't see _you _for the first time in years and tell you you make me sick." He retorted, crossing his arms as the handcuffs jingled. Kagome could feel heat rising to her face and she made herself count down from ten. This wasn't the time to be prickly. She needed to keep it under control…but unfortunately for her the man in front of her was the only one who could make her lose it. This was going to prove to be difficult. Shaking her head she opened the file she had left on the table and after scanning over the report, began to look over the crime scene photos. They were brutal.

InuTaisho had clearly had his neck viciously snapped, blood leaking from his temple leading down to wide dead eyes. His bottom lip was busted and his mouth was hanging open with a slack jaw. His hands and feet had been cut off and he'd been gutted, surrounded in a pool of his own blood as his intestines hung halfway out of his body, staining the torn white button up shirt he had on. She swallowed hard and looked to the next picture. Izayoi Taisho-Inuyasha's Mother- was naked except for an askew bra. Her body was littered with bruises and cuts and blood leaked from her temple and between her legs. Her eyes were wide, dried tears staining her bloodied cheeks. Next was Inuyasha. She could only look at his picture for a quick second before she felt tears rushing to her eyes and she swiped the file closed. He was naked, legs crumpled at the base of a sofa chair, the rest of his body leaning over the seat of it, his head resting neatly a foot away from him. She wished she had done a better job of holding in the soft anguished sound she made. Her and Inuyasha had been good friends back in the day.

"Those pictures aren't easy to look at…are they?" She looked up at him through bleary eyes, his soft voice calming her slightly. His eyes were soft too as he studied her like he always used to, gauging her emotional state. His eyes searched hers and for a moment they just looked at each other. Kagome quickly wiped a tear before it fell and shook her head.

You didn't do this…did you, Sesshomaru?" She watched as his jaw tensed involuntarily and his eyes narrowed at her.

"No." He said firmly. Lifting her head Kagome glanced behind her at the one way window. She couldn't see Chief Kaido, but knowing that he could see her was enough, and she shot him a look that said she was getting down to business. Clearing her throat she turned her head back to Sesshomaru and her emotionless mask fell back into place as she straightened up.

"Let's get to it then. Mr. Taisho, where were you last night between the hours of nine p.m and seven this morning?" She asked, pen in hand and angled towards the notebook. The time of death on the bodies had been about three in the morning but she wanted a _full _length alibi. Sesshomaru's eyelids dropped halfway as he gave her a dumb look.

"At home, obviously. Then in this shit hole." She gave him a pointed look before jotting down some notes.

"You know, for a man whose whole family just got murdered you don't seem to be in much distress." She commented, not bothering to look up at him for a moment. When she did glance up she found what she wanted, which was the darkening in his eyes. She knew that jab would keep him serious for awhile. "Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" She offered. Sesshomaru worked his jaw for a moment as he eyed her coldly.

"Ok. I was supposed to go over to the house for dinner. It's a thing Father's been making me do every Wednesday night to "try and get closer to the family" he said. I had to work late and didn't end up leaving work until around nine, which means I got to their house about ten. We had a late dinner and after a few drinks, we all went to bed. I remember waking up because I heard something crash. Then I heard Izayoi scream. I could hear my father yell for her and by the time I excited my room Inuyasha and my father were rushing downstairs. Realizing there were people in the house I rushed down after them and…I don't remember much after that. I remember somebody hitting me in the back of the head with a gun and blacking out. I remember waking up and…" He paused for a moment, and Kagome waited silently. "They were cutting off my father's hands, Izayoi was screaming from some where…I couldn't tell where and my body hurt. I heard Inuyasha yelling in pain and then I felt a pain in my stomach and passed out again. The next thing I knew I was being pulled off our living room floor and hauled into an ambulance. I woke up in the hospital a couple hours later and _then_ the next thing I know I'm in cuffs and being told everybody was fuckin dead and I was under arrest."

Kagome…felt horrified. She also knew Sesshomaru well enough to know he was a strong man, but also that inside he had to be crumbling. His world was crashing down all around him. She, however, had a job to do, and that entailed remaining objective and impassive. Looking over the report again and the crime scene photos that didn't include the bodies she noted the obvious struggle that had taken place in the large living room and partly in the modern styled kitchen. There were dirty footprints everywhere on the stained cream carpet which was obvious enough to tell her that his story held true, there was clearly signs of forced entry, multiple people, and a struggle. Now it was time to ask the big question.

"Why do you think you're still alive?" She asked in a neutral voice. Sesshomaru took a moment to answer, but when he did, his voice was grave.

"I wondered the same thing." Kagome remained quiet, knowing that Sesshomaru was a smart man, and had probably developed at least half a theory. "The only thing I could think of…is they wanted to frame me for being the one to attack them."

"Whose they?" She asked admist her note taking. He didn't answer her. She lifted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Taisho?"

"Listen, Kags I don't want you involved in-"

"Higurashi or Agent Higurashi right now Mr. Taisho, it's up to you. And I'm a Federal Agent, it's my job to get involved." Her voice came out colder than she meant it to. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes dangerously at her, and she stiffened. All these years later and he was still just as intimidating…if not more.

"Alright, _Agent _Higurashi." He spat. She knew she'd struck a nerve. This would probably be the last answer she got out of him. "As you're well aware, back in high school I was in a gang called the _Yokais. _Eventually I became the leader. I was leader for a few years, but Father was always constantly trying to talk me into leaving them. I allowed Inuyasha out so he could take over Fathers business, since mainly he was concerned about having an heir who would take over for him. Inuyasha proved himself beyond competent for the task, but Father was still not pleased. He wished more than anything for me to give up the lifestyle I had. Eventually, a few months ago, I relented. I called it quits and left in charge my second third in command, Josiah Hanazono, and Jaken Ryujii. However…for years we've been at violent odds with another gang who call themselves the _Doku Kumos _for almost two decades_. _They've been after the Taisho family money and prestige for as long as I can remember. Father may not have liked the way I did things, but I protected them. All of them." Kagome said nothing as she jotted down his response. When she was done she licked her lips before lifting her head to look at him once more.

"And who is the leader of the _Doku Kumos_?" She asked. There was no hesitation.

"Naraku Onigumo." Kagome's stomach lurched and thought she was going to be sick all over again. After a pause she laid down the pen and closed the small notebook in front of her with a shaking hand. She stood up wordlessly, and looked at the officer who had been standing quietly next to Sesshomaru through the entirety of their interview. Her eyes narrowed.

"Un-cuff him." She ordered. The man hesitated, his face betraying the slightest of an annoyed and confused expression. She wasted no time in repeating herself. "Un-cuff him."

"With all due respect Agent…"

"With all due respect, officer, this man may be a suspect, but unless we're prepared to formally charge him-which were not- we cannot hold him." She quipped.

"What the hell? He could have just murdered three people don't you think he's a flight risk?!" He demanded. She turned her eyes toward Sesshomaru as she heard the door to the interrogation room open. She didn't need to look to know Chief Kaido was standing there.

"Are you planning to run, Sesshomaru?" She asked him point blank. The officer looked at her like she was the biggest idiot in the world.

"No." Sesshomaru admitted with a light shrug of his broad shoulders.

"The fuck-"

"Of course he won't run." Shippo Kaido interjected, stepping fully into the room, his arms crossed as an amused smile rested upon his face. Kagome decided very quickly she didn't like that look. "Because I'm assigning Agent Higurashi to forty-eight hour surveillance." Kagome wanted to throttle her Chief. Not only had she wanted no part in this entire thing, now she was going to be bound at the hip with her ex? No matter how hard she tried however, she couldn't be that angry. Hearing Sesshomaru's story…sparked a cord in her. She _wanted _to help him. Wanted to prove his innocence. Wanted to get back at the bastards who'd killed his family.

The last thing she wanted to do though, the only thing that made her hands and legs shake, made her breath catch, made her heart race and her blood run cold, was to be anywhere near Naraku Onigumo. She hadn't seen him in ten years either. And for very…very good reason. What Sesshomaru didn't know, was that the man he'd just named, was the core reason she'd left him all those years ago. And she hadn't had much of a choice. At least not in her mind. Shaking her head to rid herself of the nasty memories surfacing she pulled her car keys from her pocket and jingled them in Sesshomaru's sight as he was being un-cuffed. With a single raised eyebrow she spoke.

"You heard the man. Let's go, Mr. Taisho."

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**((A/N: **Thank you again everybody for joining me for Chapter Two of Pulse. Please R&amp;R and have a good rest of the day. Until next time ! **))**


	3. The Root of All Evil

**((Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha cast. All rights to Author and Illustrator Rumiko Takahashi.))**

Title: **Pulse**

Rated: **M**

Genre(s): **Crime/Romance/Drama/Comedy**

Pairing(s): **Sesshome, Ayame/Josiah**

**Summary: **She hadn't seen him since the day she broke his heart ten years ago. Now, here he was, sitting handcuffed across from from her in an FBI interrogation room, the prime suspect in the triple homicide of his father, stepmother, and younger half brother. Her life was about to change drastically.

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**A/N: **Hey everybody, welcome back to Chapter Three of Pulse. I hope everyones been doing well. I wanted to take a moment and say I know I wrote Ayame/Bankotsu before for the pairing, and that was incorrect and I apologize. So some of you may have noticed I changed it. Josiah is an OC of mine. Thank you to my Chapter Two reviewers I greatly appreciate you. Other than that um…on to the next chap :)

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_Previously…_

_The last thing she wanted to do though, the only thing that made her hands and legs shake, made her breath catch, made her heart race and her blood run cold, was to be anywhere near Naraku Onigumo. She hadn't seen him in ten years either. And for very…very good reason. What Sesshomaru didn't know, was that the man he'd just named, was the core reason she'd left him all those years ago. And she hadn't had much of a choice. At least not in her mind. Shaking her head to rid herself of the nasty memories surfacing she pulled her car keys from her pocket and jingled them in Sesshomaru's sight as he was being un-cuffed. With a single raised eyebrow she spoke._

_"You heard the man. Let's go, Mr. Taisho."_

**Chapter Three: **The Root of all Evil

Chief Kaido had been very clear of what he wanted in his briefing. After Sesshomaru had been released the Chief had sat down with the both of them and explained how the next forty-eight hours would work. Kagome was assigned to protective detail of Sesshomaru since, even though they were still investigating him, it was pretty clear some one that wasn't him was after the Taisho's. If some one were to find out Sesshomaru was released from custody, they would likely come after him too. In order to keep that a secret, Kaido had instructed Kagome to take the man back to HER apartment and keep watch and protection over him for the duration of the next two days. She, was also going to be the lead Agent on the case.

Needless to say, Kagome was not pleased in the slightest. She was positive this went against every since goddamn protocol they had in place. It was true, however, that until they had solid evidence backing up the fact that he had nothing to do with their murder that he still needed to be kept watch over. After the forty-eight hours were up, he would re-asses the situation and go from there. Sesshomaru had been relaxed throughout the entire meeting, and at one point had tuned out and started picking the dried blood out of his normally perfect hair. It made Kagome's blood boil.

Currently she found herself back in her Nissan with said man in her passenger seat, casually gazing out the window with his chin in his hand. She wanted to smack him. She wanted to throttle him. Why? She wasn't quite sure. Maybe it was because of his unbearable calm demeanor. Maybe it was because ten years made him look even more handsome. Or maybe it was because thats just always how it had been between them. Sesshomaru knew exactly how to push each and every one of her buttons, which is why whenever she was near him, it was hard to keep her emotions in control. He always put her on edge…which was why her relationship with him back then…had been the best one she'd ever had in her life. With a small sigh she picked up the mini walkie-talkie device that was strapped into her radio.

"Nikiri?" She called. Even though she had a cellphone, Ayame had been stuck in her old fashioned cop days of using radio walkie-talkies, so everyone on her team was required to have one.

"Nikiri here, copy." The crackled and staticy feminine voice replied.

"Nikiri, I've got Sesshomaru Taisho in my custody. Chief Kaido sent me out with him immediately for protective detail and put me in charge. I need you to visit 345 North Sakai street in the Taru District, thats where you should find Mr. Taisho's associates, Josiah Hanazono and Jaken Ryujii along with a few other of their members. Mr. Taisho informed them an Agent would be on the way." She briefed. She knew the Ayame already knew the details of the case, so it would be no problem for her.

"Copy that, I'm in route now." Her distorted voice rang again before the a beep and the line went quiet. Kagome returned the device to its hook and glanced over at Sesshomaru again. He was still staring out the window, his eyes distant.

"Glad you still find me attractive enough to stare." He finally muttered, breaking their silence. Kagome felt her face puffing up, but she chocked down a heated and embarrassed reply, choosing instead to keep up her long practiced facade.

"And I'm slightly disappointed you still haven't gotten over your superiority complex." She replied cooly. Sesshomaru turned his head to finally look at her, and smirked.

"Only slightly?" He countered. Kagome felt her eyebrow twitch. She considered the better option was keeping quiet…and that lasted for five more minutes.

"You know…I have to admit I'm impressed. Who knew little Kagome would grow up so good? I mean look at you, big shot Federal Agent-"

"Don't patronize me." Kagome cut in harshly. The corners of Sesshomaru's lips turned down in a scowl.

"You never did know how to take a damn compliment." He bit back.

"You're such an insufferable dickhead!" Kagome finally bellowed.

"Okay what the _actual _fuck is YOUR problem?!" He snapped back at her. "In case you forgot MY family was murdered and YOU sit here battling some grudge against me from fucking high school that I had nothing to do with! So whose _really _the dickhead here?" He snapped. His words made Kagome freeze and a few seconds later they stopped at a light. She could hear Sesshomaru's heavy breathing when they stopped and the car was silent. He was pissed, and she deserved it. He'd succeeded in making her feel very…very small. He was right. The only real dickhead in the car _was _her. He'd literally done nothing.

The continued the car ride in silence for another five minutes before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry." She said, her voice weak. He spared her a glance, but that was all she got...

*********************Miles Away…*************************

_Knock knock knock knock._

"Hey, this is the FBI this isn't a bust just open the goddamn door!" Ayame yelled through the inanimate object before her. She'd been standing out there for three full minutes all ready in the beaming sunlight and just about nobody wanted to answer the door. She wiped vigorously at the sweat threatening to fall from her eyebrow into her eye and stomped her foot. "Goddammit." She muttered and right as she was about to pull out her cellphone and give Kagome an earful, the door opened. The man was at least six foot four inches and towered over her as he leaned in the doorway yawning. His black hair was spiky and messy, he wore no shirt and his faded jeans were unbuttoned. His chin and jaw were filled with black stubble and his were halfway opened green eyes slid lazily over to her when he finished his yawn.

"Sorry 'bout that. Was sleeping'." He said, voice low. Right before her eyes, as if he had absolutely no shame, he reached down and started to scratch his crotch. Her eyes widened as she gave him a half horrified half disgusted look with a twitch of her eyebrow.

"Seriously? Are you really scratching your fuckin balls right now?" She snapped. The man in front of her raised an eyebrow slowly before chuckling.

"You curse a lot." He commented. Ayame narrowed her eyes as a flat look settled on her face and she flashed her badge.

"I'm Agent Nikiri. You high?" She asked him point blank. He smirked at her before lifting his arm so his wrist rested on the doorway, but he didn't answer her. "And everybody else?" She questioned. He shrugged.

"Sleep too. Anyway you're that fed Sesshou said was comin over? You're gonna get yourself killed bangin on doors like that 'round here." He said. She rolled her eyes before pushing past him and into the house.

"Thanks for the life advice Guru, I'll keep that in mind." She retorted, her nose wrinkling. The place positively wreaked of marijuana.

"So I'm assuming you're Josiah Hanazono?" She questioned, glancing around at the place. She could see about six gang members immediately. They consisted of; three males and a female in the living room passing around a couple of blunts full of weed, one male she could see past the stairs eight feet in front of her and rounding the corner, the next was a female walking up the stairs.

"Josi is fine. C'mon." He encouraged, walking to his right towards what she could make out so far from the tiled flooring to be the kitchen. She followed him into the massive cooking room and he motioned his hand towards a slightly yellowed large island table with tall, thin wooden chairs. She took a seat wordlessly as Josiah moseyed over to the refrigerator. "Drink?"

"No, thank you." Ayame declined. Josiah's hand stopped three inches from the fridge handle and he turned, walking over to a cabinet three paces to the left before pulling out a bottle of Jim Beam Spiced Rum and a glass. He poured the glass until it was hallway full while walking back over to the table and sitting in the chair across from her. He didn't miss a beat, and sat the bottle on table. Ayame had frowned distastefully at the rum but was ready to continue regardless. Thinking he was finally settled she opened her mouth, only to be stopped by his raised hand. He fished around in his pocket for a discovered pack of cigarettes, pulled one out and light it right there at the table.

"Really?" Ayame finally quipped. The man gave her another sheepish smile.

"Sorry. Like I said, I'm jus' waking up." He defended. The agent quirked an eyebrow at him.

"This is how you 'wake up' everyday?" It was Josiah's turn to quirk an eyebrow.

"You _did _come here for a reason right?" That put her back on track.

"Right, anyway…" She started, puling a file out of her back and opening it before pushing it across to him. "Naraku Onigumo. You know him?" She asked. Josiah's eyes stayed on hers for a lingering moment while he took a couple drags of his cigarette. As soon as she began to fidget under his gaze his eyes finally slid down to the manila file and its contense. She noted how he didn't look surprised by the man in the pictures at all.

"Yeah." He confirmed, leaning back in his chair and looking at her. Ayame waited for him to elaborate, and when he didn't, she took a deep breath.

"Okaaaaay. How do you know him?" She tired. Josiah took a gulp of his drink without batting an eyelash.

"Why are you asking me questions you already know the answer to?" He asked her, cocking his head to the side. Somehow he'd managed to ask and not sound condescending about it.

"What? How do you know I-"

"You talked to Sesshomaru and your an FBI Agent. Why don't you ask me something you don't have a clue about?" He countered before she finished her sentence. She scowled at him, feeling heat rising to her cheeks. The nerve of this guy! But she had to admit…he was smart. Of course these were things she already knew, but it was part of the task to ask. Josiah Hanazono, despite how he came off, was a no bullshit type of guy she was quickly beginning to realize.

"Fine." She mumbled, pulling out her notepad.

"Do you think the _Doku Kumos _called a hit on the Taisho family and tried to frame Sesshomaru Taisho?" She asked point blank.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"The Taisho's are rich. Filthy rich, and their wealth goes beyond money, but to their empire. The Onigumo family has been a rival dating back before you were even thought of sweetheart." He said in response, taking another couple drags. "The Onigumo and Taisho clan disputes go back to the warring ages. Bloody battles. Then the world got tamer, and evolved. Eventually slaying demon foes turned into screwed up business deals, spies, you name it. Then, just as time does, it repeated itself, and here we are. They resorted to this, the protective gang of each clan. The _Yokai _for the Taisho family, started by Sesshomaru, and the _Doku Kumos _for the Onigumos, started by Naraku." Ayame's eyebrows shot up.

"Sesshomaru Taisho and Naraku Onigumo created these two gangs?" She questioned with surprise. If those two started the gangs, they really weren't that old, and that mean there was an additional motive for Naraku Onigumo to want Sesshomaru to hurt. Josiah nodded, nursing his cigarette while Ayame diligently took notes. It was like being given a fascinating history lesson.

"If this is all about executing the Taisho's, then why is Sesshomaru Taisho still alive?" She asked him. It was then, for the first time, she saw Josiah's face turn serious, his green eyes looking towards the ceiling. He tapped the table twice.

"Million dollar question, eh?" He asked before taking a swig. "Easy. Jus' means he's got somethin' special planned for Sesshou."

"Something special? Like wh-" Her sentence was cut off as she jumped, her ears ringing as a barrage of bullets pounded against the house, tearing through doors and shattering windows. She cried out in surprise and Josiah was on her quicker than a cat on a mouse, tackling her to the ground, out of range of any bullets.

"Shit!" He yelled over the array of gunfire. The sound of the front door being busted open rang out and he jerked Ayame up, drawing his gun and pushing her towards the left door of the kitchen, away from the action of the front of the house.

"Run!" He commanded to her, and she did, the rugged man hot on her heels.

"What about everyone else?!" She shouted over the nose, various large men, half tattooed and a barrage of bad ass looking women running towards the gunfight while they ran away. "We have to help!" She cried, stopping for only a second before Josiah pushed her.

"They have a job to do now GO!" She didn't argue this time and booked it as Josiah guided her verbally towards the back of the house. She felt the hot air of a bullet shoot past her head and she spun around, firing two rounds out of her weapon. They hit their target, a heavy set man with dark brown hair. She couldn't stare for long, hearing Josiah discharging his own weapon before he grabbed her arm, and jerked her towards the back door under cover of his allies. But as the man she had shot went down, she'd caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his neck. It was a spider…but something didn't look right about it…

Bankotsu started to open the back door, only to have it be pelted by bullets, one of them ripping straight through his lower left side. Ayame's eyes widened as she watched him stagger to the side of the door, his own eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"Shit…" He said, tone somewhat light as he lifted his hand to get a better view of the bullet hole, blood leaking down over the denim jeans he wore.

"Hanazono! Hanazono, are you alright?!" Ayame called to him from the opposite side of the door over the sound of crashing and gunfire. She saw a pained look cross his features before his adams apple lifted and dropped with a hard swallow.

"Fine. You, me, same time. Got it?" He asked loudly over the noise in the house around them. Ayame dodged a bullet aimed at her and turned, firing her weapon three times before looking back to her temporary partner. She nodded to Josiah and drew a second gun from her hip.

"Got it!" The gunfire from outside had stopped. "Now!" Josiah pulled open the door from his side and Ayame sprayed bullets out, followed immediately by Josiah. There were four men and they each went tumbling to the ground full of bloody holes.

"Let's go!" She jerked her head to the side and saw Josiah, crimson liquid staining his hand as he jogged to a large second garage. She followed him inside to see lights flashing on a bright red 2014 Porche Spider. "Get in." He ordered, already sliding into the drivers seat himself. She pulled open the door and plopped in quickly.

"You like giving orders, huh?" She said with a huff. Josiah turned such a cold glare to her it made her freeze up…until she remembered his wound.

"Hanazono you-!" Before she could finish, the fool had literally driven the car through the large but weak door of the garage and down their driveway before tearing out into the street. "Holy shit!" She snapped wide eyed, looking back at the damage of the garage and fight that seemed to be dying down. They were too far too quickly for her to really tell.

"We need to get you to a hospital now!" Ayame decreed, reaching down and ripping off the bottom of her shirt. He took it from her when she handed it to him, knowing exactly what she intended it for and he pressed it to his wound with one hand, his other on the steering wheel, expertly guiding them through traffic at ninety-three miles per hour.

"No hospital." He ground out through a tight jaw. She could hear his breathing becoming shallow.

"Seriously Hanazono this is no joke, you could die!" She countered hotly.

"S'alright." He replied. Ayame continued her discouragement but Josiah blocked her out. He needed to focus, and with the hole pumping blood out of him that was hard enough. He sped through the next ten miles, swinging the car over to the side of the road for a second as he pulled out his cellphone. How had this happened? That was their private house, not even the spot where the whole gang met. But their _private _quarters, where half of them lived. No one should have known where they were going to be. A thought then dawned on him that made him growl lowly, catching Ayame's attention. Clicking on Sesshomaru's contact, Josiah typed one word. _Red. _He hit send and as soon as he did Ayame found the barrel of his gun pointed in her face, and that same dark, chilling look settling in his gleaming green eyes.

"You were followed, or you set us up." The statement was…well exactly that, instead of a question. He tried to make his voice strong, but it was strained, and he could feel black starting to crowd his vision. If they'd been set up then he should have never let her in. It was his fault, and now, unless he pulled the trigger on her first, he was at her mercy. Or…he could trust in Sesshomaru, as he'd always done. Sesshomaru Taisho was no fool, and wouldn't send over a Fed out of nowhere. They all knew the circumstances but…what if the Feds still thought Sesshomaru was a killer and they were setting _him _up? Just like Naraku had intended all along.

Ayame had lifted her hands, wide-eyed. This man could really kill her, right then and there, and she could do absolutely nothing about it. Had she been followed? How else would-assuming it really was the _Doku Kumos _who'd infiltrated their house- they have shown up when she was there? She certainly didn't set him or anybody up, nobody had. The only option…was that somehow their position was leaked, and she was followed.

"I didn't set you up, and I didn't know…" She said softly, honestly. Ayame also wasn't an idiot, she could see it in his face that he didn't have much time. Soon enough he would pass out. "You need to let me help you…" Were the last dull words Josiah heard, before his world slipped into black…

********************Apartment Residence of Agent Higurashi************************

Sesshomaru sat patiently, one leg crossed over the other as his lifted foot tapped the air, listening to the sound of the shower running in the distance. Before him and Kagome had arrived two and a half hours before they had made two stops. The first was to the Verizon store since Sesshomaru's phone had been smashed during the attack on his family. The demon picked out the new and of course pricey LG G4, and was currently waiting for it to be completely charged before it turned on. The second stop had of course been to Target. The Bearu had given him a crisp white shirt but his pants were still bloody and if he was going to be around he needed new shoes, jeans, and shirts, and for that moment, Target would have had to do. She wasn't about to walk through a mall with him while he was in bloody jeans.

A small green LED light drew Sesshomaru's attention. He turned his head to the left, looking at the almost fully black screen of the phone. A large green battery looked back at him with the number one hundred inside, and the LED ight stayed a constant green. He'd been mildly annoyed that with the lack of communication he was able to have with Josiah or Jaken due to his lack of phone. He'd contacted them using a non-traceable phone disposable phone Kagome had bought ages ago but never used, and had had him toss it afterwards. His instructions had been clear, that a Federal Agent was coming and that Josiah was to answer her questions and protect her…just in case any of his gang member didn't like her presence.

After unplugging the device wrapped in a black case he turned it on, and looked around the apartment while it started up. It was nice…quaint, something that was very Kagome. He was seated in the living room, in a light brown sofa chair, around him a couch, a rectangular coffee table, carpet and a television. A fern sat on the window sill just a few feet from him. To his far left was the small dining room, nothing special, a wooden table and four chairs. Next to it was the kitchen, where the beige carpet changed to white tile. The countertops were black, the cabinets white, and all the walls were painted a deep salmon color. Not so far to his left was a halfway that lead down to one of the places Kagome was now, the bathroom. Down a little further was her bedroom. It was a cozy little apartment, quiet and relaxed. A little too quiet for his tastes.

The cellphone suddenly wouldn't stop vibrating, which he'd partially expected. They were lawyers, business associates, family friends and connections, employees and business partners. Obviously news of his whole family being slaughtered would spread like wildfire, and part of him wished they'd all thought he was dead too. Another part actually wished he was. He sighed, and when the vibrating finally stopped he looked down. He'd received well over three hundred emails, he had thirty-six new voicemails, and seventy-five texts.

His fingers glided quickly, swiping aside all notifications before he clicked on his messages. Only one caught his eye immediately.

_From: Hanazono_

_Red._

_Message Delivered: 3:16pm_

_Message Received: 6:03_

Sesshomaru…froze. His eyes widened and he felt the blood drain from his face. _Red. _Code Red. It meant home-base had been infiltrated, and they were in trouble. His heart started pounding when he saw the big laps of time. This had happened damn near three hours ago! How? How had they known where to find them?! He heard the shower water cut off and suddenly…it was _really _too quiet. Slowly, Sesshomaru got to his feet, his eyes carefully looking over the inside of the apartment again. Why hadn't Ayame Nikiri contacted Kagome? Unless…

"_Shit._" He cursed under his breath. He moved over to the side of the living room window quickly, and pulled the curtain over just an inch. Peering out over the parking lot he did a sweep and found what he was looking for. Three black cars, one a Jetta, one a Porche and the other an SUV. With his keen eyesight he could make out a white spider on the tire of each car. "Jesus Christ." He muttered. He jerked away from the door and rubbed his hand down his face quickly, trying to think. There was no time for planning, they needed to get out, and NOW. How had they even found Kagome's place?!

He quickly moved down the hall towards the bathroom right as Kagome opened the door in nothing but her towel. Her widened comically as her whole face tuned red. Sesshomaru raised both eyebrows, looking her up and down. The bare of her shoulders, arms, and legs revealed creamy skin, her curves present with only the towel to cover the rest of her body from his eyes.

"Uh…"

"What do you want you pervert?!" Kagome snapped, embarrassed as she tightened her grip on the towel, and turning even more red under his stare.

"Right, we need to go. _Now._" He grabbed her arm and started hauling her towards the bedroom at a fast pace.

"What the hell Sesshomaru let go of-" Sesshomaru clamped a hand over her mouth as soon as they were in the bedroom.

"_Ssshhhh!_" He hissed. "Keep your fucking voice down we've been made, check your phone, get dressed, get your gun and give me a gun." He said lowly and they heard a thud, causing them both to jerk their heads towards the only slightly ajar bedroom door. After a few seconds of hearing nothing but silence, Kagome rounded back on him.

"You think I'm giving you a fucking gun have you lost your mind?!" She hissed, breaking out of his grip and rushing to her dresser. Sesshomaru turned his back on her while she proceeded to dress quickly.

"Unless you want to do this by yourself, yes." He retorted before picking her phone up off her bed. It was locked, naturally, and he rolled his eyes, pressing in the code 2563 and to no surprise, it worked. He frowned, noticing four missed calls on Kagome's phone from a number that wasn't saved…and it was Hanazono's. Hanazono didn't have Kagome's number. That meant it had to have been Nikiri. And if it was Ayame Nikiri that meant two things; she didn't have her cellphone, and Hanazono was injured. There were also two voicemails from her but he, nor Kagome would have time to listen to them right now.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kagome snapped, suddenly beside him and snatching her phone from his grip. Her glanced at her, dressed in dark gray capri running sweats and a white tank top, her eyes widening when she saw the calls. She frowned. "Who is this? And how the hell did you get in my phone?!"

"Hanazono. And you're predictable. Figures you'd have the same password for over a decade." He said sarcastically. "Now we need to move n-" A loud crash interrupted his sentence and Kagome jumped, raising her gun immediately. The crash was no doubt the front door, and with the size of her apartment and her years of training she knew they had less than ten seconds to act, or else they would be sitting ducks. Sesshomaru was right. Somehow, some way…they'd been found.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading ! Please R&amp;R, and I'll see you all next time !**


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